While serving as a chase vehicle for our recent cover story, our TL encountered an inexplicable sidewall contusion to one of the Michelin perform­ance tires (our new partners at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch just happened to have a comparable replacement, albeit slightly used, that they graciously swapped in for us). Our desert driving unfortunately required us to change our cabin and air filters slightly ahead of schedule, but aside from that, the TL has proven to be extremely reliable and certainly a car we didn't have to wait for in the caravan.

"Whenever I drive our TL, I'm reminded of how entertaining a really good shifter can be, even in a luxury sedan. The TL profits from this, together with its responsive powerplant. However, what with that aggressive (and, to my eye, overly brushed-chrome) nose, I'd still rather be in a TL than viewing it."—Dennis Simanaitis, Engineering Editor

Comfort: The underlying reason the Genesis gets picked for trips such as the recent one Detroit Editor Shaun Bailey took to Utah.

"A 1500-mile weekend adventure to Wendover, Utah/Nevada, meant I was definitely taking the Hyundai Genesis sedan. Its 6-speed automatic, powerful Tau V-8 and copious space met my requirements of carrying four extra wheels and tires, plus passengers, to a race. The road to Wend­over is desolate and runs north out of Las Vegas. Radar detectors are a good idea here especially in cars like the Genesis, which gulp down large stretches of straight barren roads at rates that are slightly illegal. A trivial complaint is the light steering wheel feel that makes crosswinds more apparent, but there were other things to take my mind off that, like the pleasure of an adequately cooled driver's seat. The navigation made travel convenient, and helped us re-route around road construction with ease. The rear seats don't fold down (there's only a pass through), but the trunk was still large enough to swallow the wheels and our gear with only some of it spilling over into the back seat. Even then, there was plenty of space for three."—Shaun Bailey, Detroit Editor

The Miata (both inside and out) has been nothing but smiles since it arrived. It's also looking to be one of those wonderful low-cost maintenance cars that make owning one so appealing. We just have to remember to dial it back a little on this second set of tires.

"It seems every time I think I'm going to get access to our long-term Miata for the night, Senior Feature Editor Doug Kott beats me to the punch and snags the keys first. Kott must feel the same way I do, that it's fun to drive a really good slow car, fast. There's so much good about the Miata, particularly its precise short-throw 6-speed manual shifter and feedback-oriented handling, that the sore points seem minor: a loud cockpit, tiny trunk and only moderate power. The Miata shines where many cars these days do not, in that it makes every drive a good time."—Mike Monticello, Feature Editor